The Female Perspective on Job Satisfaction

One can understand its importance in those factors that make employees, especially women, happy in the workplace. Job satisfaction is one of the most discussed topics in occupational psychology. It not only plays a vital role in socio-economic development but also represents an essential aspect in the lives of the employees and the success of any enterprise. One needs to understand the importance of job satisfaction and its role in the performance of employees, their productivity, absenteeism, and the company's overall turnover. By studying it, we can also understand an employee's job appraisal.         

Women Job Satisfaction

A recent study found that, unlike men, job satisfaction for women is not tied to their salary. Despite their lower wage and lower chances of career advancements, women employees experience higher levels of job satisfaction. So what are the various parameters of female job satisfaction? Several distinctive factors and personal situations can affect employee satisfaction, like the company's health, bad managers, demanding clientele, etc.

However, it is more about the factors within the organization's control and management that can be correlated to female-friendly initiatives and company profiles. In this article, we will discuss some of the aspects that will help us understand the female perspective on job satisfaction.      

Gender Equality 

Gender equality has been a perpetual demand among working women. Several women have reported that they feel higher job satisfaction while working for those employers who treat their male and female employees equally. This is a significant development as it proves that gender equality is not just a political or personal topic but also something women seek in their daily workplace experience.  

Gender Balance  

Those women who work in companies where there are women in senior management report higher levels of jobs job satisfaction than those who work in primarily male-dominated management. While it is difficult to say whether the lack of female leadership directly impacts the daily work experience, many feel that younger female employees need female role models in their workplace to guide and motivate them.  

Work-life Balance 

While it is a stereotype to assume that women are more interested in establishing a balanced work-life rather than being dedicated to their job, there is an undeniable relationship between their observations about the quality of work-life balance in their companies and their levels of job satisfaction. When female employees speak about good or bad work-life balance, they are referring to their working hours and the amount of flexibility at their workplace. Half-days on Friday, unlimited work from home, unlimited sick leave, 15-day vacation period are a few examples of a balanced work-life.

While these may lead to a better work-life balance among employees, what is more critical that companies must see to it that employees, especially female ones, are not made to slog on weekends and work long nights on a regular basis. Certain policies must restrict working hours as that might go a long way in providing an excellent work-life balance, resulting in employee satisfaction.    

Read also: Stopping And Starting: How to Improve Your Work-Life Balance

Family Friendly Environment 

A family-friendly workplace can also signify a good work-life balance. New mothers require a lot of flexibility in their schedule before their delivery and during the transition period while returning to work after their maternity leave. Many new mothers often come back only as part-time before returning to their position. In the US, more than 50 million working mothers have children below the age of 18. Therefore, it is a no-brainer that women report higher levels of job satisfaction when they feel that their companies are family-friendly.  

Longer Maternity Leave 

A company offering longer paid maternity leaves would undoubtedly lead to female job satisfaction. A policy about paternal leave gives an insight into a company's intentions, and sensitivity towards good work-life balance and their employees' family lives. And since all these measures are interrelated, they can be correlated to overall job satisfaction. Additionally, by implementing such policies, employers can bring about a positive change for employees considering starting their families.  

While we have discussed the various aspects that impact the female perspective regarding job satisfaction, the essential element is that despite obtaining less from their jobs, they experience a similar level of satisfaction as males. This is probably because women have different expectations from their jobs in the first place. Job satisfaction primarily depends on what employees expect from their job and what they obtain from them.

Studies suggest that when higher expectations are met with higher job outcomes, it tends to increase overall job satisfaction. Similarly, lower expectations tend to decrease job satisfaction when met with lower job outcomes. While it is impossible to prove anything from such observations without any scientific evidence, one thing that can be ascertained is that things seem to fall in place when women are happy in what they are doing.